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Journal Article 2008; 29(Suppl 1): 93-104 PubMed PMID: 19029875 Citation  Keywords:  Clinical Trials as Topic, Ginkgo biloba:chemistry, Herbal Medicine, Humans, Hypericum:chemistry, Kava:chemistry, Mental Disorders:drug therapy, Phytotherapy, Plant Preparations:therapeutic use, Valerian:chemistry,.   

: Herbal drug treatment has been known for centuries as a part of traditional medicine. Nowadays, it is still considered a useful and natural way to treat several medical conditions, including mental disturbances. The most frequently treated mental conditions include mood disorders (mainly depression), anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, age-related cognitive decline, and sometimes psychotic disorders. Some herbal formulations, such as St. John's wort, have been analyzed in clinical trials to estimate their real value. The use of other herbal medicines, such as Kava-kava, valerian, and Ginkgo biloba is discussed....

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Historical Article 2008; 29(Suppl 1): 105-122 PubMed PMID: 19029873 Citation  Keywords:  Brain:anatomy & histology, History, 20th Century, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mental Disorders:surgery, Neurosurgical Procedures:methods, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:therapy, Poland, Psychosurgery:history,.   

: Surgical intervention to the brain has a long history, but contemporary psychosurgery started in the mid-1930s. The first psychosurgical operation was a prefrontal leucotomy. In this chapter, a history of psychosurgery is described with a special focus on so-called "ablation" procedures such as anterior cingulotomy, anterior capsulotomy, subcaudate tractotomy, and limbic leucotomy. The expectations that psychiatrists linked to the surgical intervention have grown along with the progress of diagnostic neuroimaging procedures used in brain research. In recent years, the introduction of neuromodulation techniques seemed to produce a qualitative progress in modern psychosurgery. However, the controversies about these surgical interventions to the brain among psychiatrists still restrict the indications for psychosurgery to highly selected cases....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(Suppl 1): 65-92 PubMed PMID: 19029872 Citation  Keywords:  Antipsychotic Agents:therapeutic use, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Clinical Trials as Topic, Combined Modality Therapy, Depressive Disorder:physiopathology, Flumazenil:therapeutic use, GABA Modulators:therapeutic use, Humans, Lithium Compounds:therapeutic.   

: Sleep deprivation is a useful therapeutic option in the treatment of depressive disorders, especially in pharmacoresistant disorders. Its therapeutic efficacy in other indications has not, however, been confirmed. According to current knowledge, application of sleep therapy requires concomitant therapy to prevent early relapses of depression. Total sleep deprivation is the classic variant of its clinical use. Partial sleep deprivation has a somewhat less pronounced antidepressant effect, and the duration of sleep deprivation rather than application timing determines its therapeutic effect. The most reliable predictors of sleep deprivation efficacy are marked diurnal fluctuations of depressive mood, patient locomotor activity, and limbic hyperactivity in the central nervous system. The mechanism of the antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation remains unknown....

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Historical Article 2008; 29(Suppl 1): 147-160 PubMed PMID: 19029871 Citation  Keywords:  Clinical Trials as Topic, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, Humans, Schizophrenia:physiopathology, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation:history,.   

: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive and painless way of stimulating the neural tissue (cerebral cortex, spinal roots, and cranial and peripheral nerves). The first attempts at stimulating the neural tissue date back to 1896 by d'Arsonval; however, it was successfully carried out by Barker and colleagues in Sheffield, UK, in 1985. It soon became a useful tool in neuroscience for neurophysiologists and neurologists and psychiatrists. The original single-pulse TMS, largely used as an investigative tool, was further refined and developed in the early 1990s into what is known as repetitive TMS (rTMS), having a frequency range of 1-60 Hz. The stimulation by both TMS and rTMS of various cortical regions displayed alteration of movement, mood, and behavior, leading researchers to investigate a number of psychiatric and neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as to explore its therapeutic potential. There is now a large amount of literature on the use of TMS/rTMS in depression; however, its use in schizophrenia, both as an investigative and certainly as a therapeutic tool is relatively recent with a limited but increasing number of publications. In this article, we will outline the principles of TMS/rTMS and critically review their use in schizophrenia both as investigative and potential therapeutic tools....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(Suppl 1): 133-146 PubMed PMID: 19029870 Citation  Keywords:  Depressive Disorder:therapy, Humans, Mental Disorders:therapy, Risk Factors, Vagus Nerve:physiology, Vagus Nerve Stimulation:methods,.   

: Treatment-resistant depression is one of the major challenges in clinical psychiatry, considering that its current treatments are far from optimal. Although known for decades, in the last few years vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become increasingly popular as a novel method of treatment of pharmacoresistant depression. In spite of an emerging body of literature concerning the effectiveness and potential mechanisms of action of VNS, some crucial questions regarding those issues remain to be answered. We review the pre-clinical and clinical literature relating to VNS, with the impact of studies of efficacy and safety in treatment of pharmacoresistant depression and also in other clinical applications in the field of psychiatric disorders. We conclude that in light of emerging reports, VNS warrants more controlled studies for the treatment of other forms of depression, including depression in a younger population, and also of other psychiatric disorders. Because of its safety, VNS could potentially become a treatment of choice in fields in which treatment procedures traditionally require the least aggressive methods....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(5): 712-716 PubMed PMID: 18987613 Citation  Keywords:  Carcinogens:chemistry, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Chromatography, Thin Layer, Electrons, Horseradish Peroxidase:chemistry, Hydrogen Peroxide:chemistry, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry, Naphthols:chemistry, Oxidation-Reduction.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine oxidation of carcinogenic Sudan I by peroxidase and characterize the structure of its two major peroxidasemediated metabolites. Another target of the study was to evaluate a mechanism of this oxidation.

METHODS: Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) and visible (VIS) detection was employed for the separation of Sudan I metabolites formed by peroxidase. UV/ VIS-, and mass- spectroscopy as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were used to characterize structures of two major Sudan I metabolites.

RESULTS: Peroxidase oxidizes Sudan I by a one electron oxidation to eight products. Two major Sudan I metabolites were isolated by TLC on silica gel and HPLC and structurally characterized. The major product formed during the Sudan I oxidation by peroxidase is Sudan I metabolite M2, which corresponds to a Sudan I dimer molecule. The second major metabolite (M1) is the product of secondary, enzyme independent reactions, being formed from the Sudan I dimer that lost the benzenediazonium moiety.

CONCLUSIONS: The data are the first report on structural characterization of Sudan I metabolites formed by its oxidation with peroxidase....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(5): 770-774 PubMed PMID: 18987612 Citation  Keywords:  Acetophenones:pharmacology, Acetylcysteine:pharmacology, Ascorbic Acid:pharmacology, Blotting, Western, Cell Differentiation:drug effects, Embryonal Carcinoma Stem Cells:drug effects, Flow Cytometry, Free Radical Scavengers:pharmacology, Genes, Reporter:d.   

OBJECTIVES: Intracellularly generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) are thought to modulate redox sensitive signaling pathways and thus regulate cell physiology including proliferation and differentiation. However, the role of ROS in neuronal differentiation of embryonic pluripotent cells is unknown. For this reason, the modification of retinoic acid (RA) induced neuronal differentiation of mouse embryonal carcinoma cells P19 by selected ROS scavengers and flavoprotein inhibitor was evaluated.

METHODS: Intracellular ROS was evaluated by flowcytometry. Cellular redox status was evaluated based on total levels of reduced thiol groups in cells. The activity of the RA responsive element (RARE) was evaluated by luciferase reporter assay. The RA-induced neuronal differentiation was determined based on changes in the expression of protein markers characteristic for undifferentiated (Oct-4) and neuron-like cell differentiated cells (N-cadherin and III-beta tubulin).

RESULTS: RA increased the intracellular ROS production that was accompanied by a decrease in thiol groups in cells. The ROS scavengers and flavoprotein inhibitor reduced RA-induced ROS production, RA-induced activity of RARE, and it decreased the RA-induced expression of N-cadherin and III-beta tubulin.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data outline a role of ROS as important molecules in the transduction of an intracellular signal during the neuronal differentiation of ES cells....

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Case Reports 2008; 29(5): 635-638 PubMed PMID: 18987611 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Amniocentesis, Blood Gas Analysis, Cordocentesis, Echocardiography, Electrocardiography, Female, Fetal Growth Retardation:diagnostic imaging, Heart Rate:physiology, Heart Rate, Fetal:physiology, Humans, Hypoxia:etiology, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Pr.   

OBJECTIVES: Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with fetal adverse conditions. The most important cause of growth restriction and poor perinatal outcome is chronic fetal hypoxemia (CFH). Adaptation to CFH can be studied by Doppler velocity waveform on umbilical and fetal arteries and cardiotocography (CTG).

METHODS: Preterm delivery, as an elimination of CFH, has to be confronted with the risks of prematurity. A special situation may occur when CTG is normal at the absence of end-diastolic velocity (AEDV). AEDV in the umbilical artery precedes the onset of abnormal CTG, whose duration differs considerably among the fetuses. The time after the onset of AEDV in pregnancy may be utilized for performing exact diagnosis by fetal blood analysis.

CASE: Primigravida at 30 gestational weeks was referred because of IUGR. IUGR, AEDV, oligohydramnion, and normal fetal anatomy were revealed. CTG was normal. Indication for cordocentesis was to perform cord blood gases analysis and to obtain fetal caryotype. Cordocentesis revealed normal caryotype, values of pH, and fetal blood gases were considered satisfactory. Continuation of pregnancy was decided in spite of persistent AEDV. At 33 gestational weeks pathological CTG was an indication for induction of labor. Labor, delivery, umbilical blood gases, postpartal and neonatal outcome were normal.

CONCLUSION: In the case of fetal monitoring controversy assessment of umbilical blood analysis may be crucial. This examination is significant and independent of the interval between cordocentesis and the onset of CTG pathology. This interval may be utilized for intrauterine treatment and for optimizing obstetric management....

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